The South Australian Veteran Partnerships Hub

Located in the leafy and quiet suburb of Glenside in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs is a safe and welcoming environment with an important purpose.

The Partnerships Hub, or “The Hub” as it is more affectionately known, was originally developed in response to recurring requests from the veteran community for a ‘one stop shop’ to be included in the model of care and facility design of the Jamie Larcombe Centre (JLC), formerly known as Ward 17 at the Repatriation General Hospital. Whilst The Hub is located adjacent to the JLC, it is not restricted for use only by patients but rather is open to any veteran and their family, support persons or carers.

Its overarching purpose is to provide access to vital services offered by Ex-Service and Veteran Support Organisations (ESO’s and VSO’s) such as advocacy support, employment assistance and family support. The facility is also focused on enabling these organisations to collaborate and share expertise and resources to further meet the needs of veterans.

The facility is managed by Justin Brown, Partnerships Hub Coordinator, who is a veteran himself and has 5 years of veteran support experience in various roles. Justin’s experience comes with a network of contacts and he has proven to be an invaluable source of information to visitors to The Hub. SA Health has provided the funding for The Hub with administration of the facility coordinated by Veterans SA.

The operating model is a “service by appointment” model that includes advocacy, financial counselling, homelessness and affordable housing support, employment, legal services, justice of the peace and respite programs.

Veterans and their families can be connected to reliable services quickly and having the facilities to accommodate these services on-site means that they are easily accessible to the community. This has been particularly important for customers of the Jamie Larcombe Centre as it has helped to reduce the levels of stress and anxiety surrounding access to support services.

Since its official opening by the Hon Steven Marshall MP, Premier of South Australia in April 2018, The Hub has facilitated over 3,000 visits. Statistics have shown that all three services are represented and a 60:20 mix of male and female veterans have utilised the facilities service offerings.

Over the last 18 months, The Hub has received significant support from ESO’s including RSL Care SA and RSL State and Sub-branches who have donated or funded various resources to improve the experience for those who make use of the facility. These include BBQ’s, an outdoor setting, coffee machine and micro hifi system. Computers, internet access and tele-conference facilities are available for use by ESO/VSO’s to The Hub, which has allowed the facilitation of meetings, training sessions and consultations. Visitors are also welcome to utilise these facilities to conduct personal admin or to seek additional services, making The Hub a very functional space.

The building itself is heritage listed and has a colourful history, but has been renovated to make it a very welcoming and low stimulus environment for veterans and their families to enjoy. The walls are adorned by artworks created by veterans either through the art therapy program run by The Road Home at the JLC or through private donation from the artist themselves. Outside, shady landscaped areas provide quiet respite and fresh air or a place for children and assistance dogs to play.

The Hub has connected with a significant number of service providers and support groups. Recently, there have been discussions with local council, City of Burnside, who are keen for The Hub and the veteran community to access their new community shed which is located less than 400 metres away. This will allow for larger functions to be facilitated and possibly new health and fitness programs.

Anecdotal evidence would suggest that The Hub is achieving its objectives, however formal customer surveys are planned in order to gain direct feedback from users of the facility. This feedback will help to determine the effectiveness and suitability of the facility and its staff. Partnerships Hub Coordinator, Justin Brown says, “Our aim is to continually review the operational model and to remain responsive to the needs of our customers in order to ensure the Hub is serving the veteran community effectively.”

Early in 2019, Justin was invited to meet with a group of veterans who were serving custodial sentences at a South Australian prison. There were seven veterans present, all relatively young, who were serving sentences of various lengths for a variety of convictions, but they all spoke the same military language and shared a familiar bond as veterans. One young veteran in particular would connect with Justin at The Hub following his parole on home detention a few days after the meeting.

Justin saw this as an opportunity to action the support network that had been established by The Hub as was discussed with the group of veterans in custody. The veteran advised that although he had received housing support from Andrew Russell Veteran Living, managed by RSL Care SA. Justin also attended his Community Corrections induction meeting, along with his case manager.to provide additional support.

Being constrained by the rules of his home detention meant that he was confined to his accommodation 24/7 with the exception of short planned visits for shopping and exercise. Justin was able to offer The Partnerships Hubs an approved place of parade, and it was agreed that he could visit three days per week for three hours per visit. During the veteran’s visits to The Hub, Justin was able to connect him with additional support by bringing support services to The Hub itself. Advocacy, financial counselling and a GP were provided as well as connections with employment support, social reintegration and fitness activities.

Over a period of 12 weeks the majority of his needs were provided within a stable environment. Justin will admit that it wasn’t all smooth sailing, but it worked. The veteran is now free of his home detention and has also had his curfew lifted. This enabled him to travel to Sydney recently to attend an Invictus Games training selection camp, which had been one of his primary goals since being paroled. The Hub was able to play a vital role in supporting this young veteran and will continue to do so for as long as he requires assistance.

Along with each of the other organisations and individuals involved, The Partnerships Hub continues to provide a strong support network for all veterans and their families and support network.